Is Microsoft Office Still Relevant in the Modern World?

The Microsoft Office platform has been the industry standard for many decades. But with the rise of Apple and numerous failures in their hardware sector, such as the atrocious Windows 8 and a catastrophic attempt to get into the smart phone and tablet market, Microsoft seem to have lost their touch in recent years.

We are living in an increasingly mobile world, where smart devices are more functional than desktop computers. However, the commercial sector is still heavily reliant on Microsoft technology. And lest not forget, the company still holds the dominant share of the home computing market. Apple computers may have broken into other niche sectors, such as the video and sound editing industries. However, Microsoft are still the favored option among gamers and general users.

Microsoft Office Still Sets the Bar in the Software Market

In the software market, Microsoft Office continues to set the bar and define the “industry standard.” But with open source solutions readily available, it may seem on the surface that MS Office has had its day. But, when using Open Office and other free solutions, it’s important to remember that most people are still required to save files to Microsoft’s native format. In fact, most word processing and spreadsheet software is built around .docx (Microsoft’s default). It may seem as though Microsoft is going down the same route as AOL and Myspace, but no other company – not even Apple – have office tools that can compete. Until that day comes, which certainly won’t be anytime soon, they will continue to be a dominant player.

In order to keep the MS Office platform alive, which is one of Microsoft’s most lucrative sources of revenue, they are having to give away large pieces of its platform for free. It’s an incredibly smart business move, even if it seems like a form of weakness. Firstly, it stops users from finding alternative options in the open source arena. And secondly, it ensure MS Office remains the most functional platform of all.

Microsoft Still has a Pivotal Role to Play

Despite numerous failures, the bottom line is that Microsoft is still extremely relevant. For the foreseeable future they will continue to play a pivotal role, setting the standard for office-based software. Specialists from the Microsoft Certified Academy London state that the world still isn’t ready to move on from MS Office. They also recommend that businesses continue using it as their core software for office-related activities.

Windows 10 demonstrates that the company isn’t pushing any new, innovative ideas. They are simply rehashing old solutions in a slightly different way. Apple, on the other hand, are pushing boundaries by merging their mobile and desktop operating systems in extremely functional ways. But this level of competition is what makes the technology sector so exciting. Companies need other innovators. With Apple’s resurgence over the last decade, and continuing success, Microsoft will inevitably have to start thinking beyond MS Office, and more about how to advance the industry, rather than just improve current solutions.